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More dilapidated schools in Sabah to be fixed this year

BONGAWAN: Works of restoration will soon be conducted on 71 more dilapidated schools in the Sabah, along with 24 others approved last year.

However, out of 1,300 schools in the state, there are 492 more that are in bad shape and in dire need of repairs.

On top of that, State Minister of Education and Innovation Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob said that there is also a need to build new school buildings to address overcrowded problem in some schools, such as SMK Agasi in Lahad Datu with 2,700 students and 2,400 in SMK Tansau, Putatan.

With Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s acting role as the federal minister of education, he hoped that the Sabahans’ aspiration to upgrade the education amenities in the state, especially in terms of its infrastructure and facilities, would come true.

Yusof opined that Dr .Mahathir who is also the prime minister, with his befitting knowledge and background in education, is a suitable candidate to fill the vacant Education Minister’s post.

“There are still many schools that have morning and evening sessions with an excessive number of students, but their facilities have never been changed… That’s why some classes still have to be conducted in a store or surau,” he told a press conference at a dinner event with the media at Borneo Golf Resort here, on Monday night.

“We hope that Dr Mahathir would look into this matter. I would pay him a courtesy visit when I get the chance to address these issues, together with the need to add more facilities for the colleges and universities in Sabah,” he added.

Yusof stated that both Sabah and Sarawak are left behind in terms of academic achievement and facilities sufficiency.

“But even so, we excel in co-curriculums where students have outstanding talents in sports and arts,” he asserted.